By Alden Smith
A good balance of vitamins and minerals is essential for good health. Although we generally get a good balance of these from a good diet, older people, children and women who are pregnant or are breastfeeding have different requirements. We discuss them here.
The Need For Vitamins and Minerals
Research for this article shows that a deficiency in any of the required daily doses of vitamins and minerals leads to a host of ills, but the most noteworthy thing found was the effects on mental and emotional stability. A lack of essential vitamins and minerals can alter brain function and lead to depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders.
Let’s look at some of these:
- Folic acid is essential for the prevention of depression. In elderly people, a low level of folic acid is common. Tests of elderly patients in a psychiatric ward found that 35% to 92.6% of these patients had a deficiency. Folic acid replenishes serotonin, strengthens the neurotransmitters along with other vitamins and supplements, and relieves symptoms of fatigue, apathy, and dementia.
- Vitamin C deficiency can result in fatigue, weakness, apathy, weight loss, and depression. This is especially true if you are pregnant, elderly or under stress. Women taking oral contraceptives should increase their dosage of this essential vitamin.
- The B vitamins, B1, B3, B6 and B12, are also essential in the treatment of depression. Fatigue, irritability, memory lapses, insomnia, loss of appetite, and stomach problems usually accompany lack of these vitamins. Nursing or pregnant women, the elderly, drug addicts and people who eat a lot of junk food are those most at risk.
- Boron is a trace mineral essential for strong bones and the proper metabolism of calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. The elderly benefit from a supplement of boron because it helps with calcium loss in the bones. Postmenopausal women lost forty-percent less calcium and one-third less magnesium through their urine after beginning to take boron, according to a study done by the Department of Agriculture.
- Calcium dosages come in different forms, and what to take is dependent on you. Postmenopausal women and those with low stomach acid content will only absorb about 4% of an oral dose of calcium. In the elderly, the proper dosage of calcium helps in bone loss and brittleness due to age. Studies have shown that the proper dosage of calcium lowers high blood pressure. The same study showed a 25% reduction in serum cholesterol in men with high cholesterol levels. Experts recommend that you take calcium in a soluble state, such as calcium citrate, calcium lactate or calcium gluconate if you fit this description.
This is not a complete list by any means. Keeping track of all the necessary vitamins and supplements would be a lot of work. Your best bet is to have you doctor decide through intensive blood work what is lacking in your system. Following a doctor’s recommendation is always the best bet.
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